California

Native bears prefer montane hardwood, montane chaparral, and mixed conifer forests to sustain and supply sufficient food, cover, and water. California black bears exhibit black, brown, and blonde coats, foraging on acorns, manzanita berries, insects, and succulent plants.

California's deer is a beautiful sight to behold. These graceful animals can often be seen grazing on lush hillsides or in open meadows. Subspecies include Columbian black-tailed deer along the north coast, California mule deer in the Sierra foothills, and desert mule deer in southeastern washes.

Elk is another type of deer found in California. These animals are the largest members of the deer family in the state, with Roosevelt elk occupying northern rainforests and endemic Tule elk inhabiting central valleys, coastal hills, and Owens Valley grasslands.

Badgers have short, stout legs and a flattened body of nearly 2.5 feet in length and weigh about 15 to 25 lbs. Exceptional excavators with long curved claws, badgers hunt ground squirrels and gophers across open plains and oak savannahs.

Bighorn sheep are almost 5 feet with a height of 2 ½ – 3 ¼ feet. An adult male weighs around 150 to 250 lbs. Two distinct subspecies inhabit California: the endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn in high subalpine crags and desert bighorn across arid Mojave and Sonoran mountain ranges.

The Gray wolf is a native species that has naturally recolonized northern California forests. Living in structured packs, these apex predators roam expansive territories in Lassen, Plumas, and Siskiyou counties, preying primarily on deer and elk.

Pronghorn was initially found throughout the entire central valley of California. Now they primarily occupy the vast sagebrush steppe and volcanic plateaus of the Modoc Plateau, Lassen County, and Mono Basin.

Wild pigs currently exist in various habitats ranging from woodland, scrub, and grasslands. They root for acorns, bulbs, roots, and agricultural crops, creating wallows in riparian creek corridors across coastal ranges.

Snowshoe hares are found in the Klamath range, southern Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada south into Mono County. They turn pure white in winter and mottled brown in summer, inhabiting dense subalpine fir and willow wetlands.

The California quail is the official state bird of California. These small, plump birds are found in chaparral brush, oak savannahs, and foothills statewide, distinguished by their charismatic forward-curving head crest.

Chukars are common in the rocky foothills and lower elevation desert ranges of California. Highly resilient, they thrive in arid terrain where water sources are scattered among steep talus slopes.

Sooty grouse inhabit mature fir timber of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades, while Greater sage-grouse occupy expansive sagebrush flats on the Modoc Plateau and eastern Sierra border.

Highly successful game bird flourishing in oak woodlands and agricultural valleys. California hosts thriving populations of Rio Grande and Merriam's turkeys that roost in tall pines and cottonwoods.